Atwater · Merced County

Schools in Atwater

Atwater’s 8 public elementary schools run from the 35th to the 64th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 8 schools

from 35th to 64th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Thomas Olaeta Elementary: 64th percentile, Solid
  • Mitchell Elementary: 56th percentile, Solid
  • Elmer Wood Elementary: 52nd percentile, Solid
  • Juniper Elementary: 50th percentile, Solid
  • Peggy Heller Elementary: 43rd percentile, Developing
  • Shaffer Elementary: 42nd percentile, Developing
  • Aileen Colburn Elementary: 37th percentile, Developing
  • Bellevue Elementary: 35th percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
4Developing
4Solid
0Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 3 schools

from 36th to 53rd · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Peggy Heller Elementary: 53rd percentile, Solid
  • Mitchell Intermediate: 38th percentile, Developing
  • Bellevue Senior Elementary: 36th percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
2Developing
1Solid
0Strong

High · 2 schools

from 32nd to 47th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Buhach Colony High: 47th percentile, Developing
  • Atwater High: 32nd percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
2Developing
0Solid
0Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 1 of the 12 ranked schools teaches two levels, so it appears in more than one picture.

Schools around Atwater

14 listed public schools with mapped locations.

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in Atwater score highest?

Thomas Olaeta Elementary is highest, at the 64th percentile.

That’s higher than 64 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Atwater

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 5 elementary schools
Context

The average Atwater elementary school had 7 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Atwater score highest?

Peggy Heller Elementary is highest, at the 53rd percentile.

That’s higher than 53 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Atwater

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Context

The average Atwater middle school had 11 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

1 middle school not ranked statewide
  • Atwater Senior AcademyCommunity day school: students are placed here by probation, district or voluntary referral, including after an expulsion, so we don’t rank it

High schools

Which high schools in Atwater score highest?

Buhach Colony High is highest, at the 47th percentile.

That’s higher than 47 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Atwater

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

1 high school not ranked statewide
  • Valley Atwater CommunityCounty community school: students are placed here by probation, district or voluntary referral, so we don’t rank it

3 private schools have a Atwater address. They don’t take California’s state tests, so we don’t score them. See them in the private-school directory →

Which places nearby can you look at next?

School districts

More places (3)

ZIP codes

Before kindergarten

Common questions

Which public schools in Atwater rank highest?

Elementary: Thomas Olaeta Elementary, 64th percentile (Solid). Middle: Peggy Heller Elementary, 53rd percentile (Solid). High: Buhach Colony High, 47th percentile (Developing). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in Atwater decide which school my child attends?

No. A city can hold schools from more than one district, and attendance boundaries decide which school serves an address. Confirm the school for your address with the district.
More questions (3)

Are the public schools in Atwater good?

Atwater’s 8 public elementary schools run from the 35th to the 64th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 4 Solid and 4 Developing. Atwater’s 3 public middle schools run from the 36th to the 53rd percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Solid and 2 Developing. Atwater’s 2 public high schools run from the 32nd to the 47th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 2 Developing. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Atwater compare with California?

The average Atwater elementary school had 7 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average Atwater middle school had 11 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools with a Atwater address, which can belong to more than one school district.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.